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Monday, December 24, 2007

REAL ID ACT - A NATIONAL IDENTITY SYSTEM

Real ID Act – A Backdoor National Identity System



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TAKE ACTION!

This 90-second Freedom Files video short looks at the federal Real ID Act that may be on its way to your local motor vehicles office, where it would bring longer lines, worse service, bureaucratic nightmares, and higher fees – and turn your driver’s license into a true federalized national identity card that will be used to invade our privacy in ways Americans have never seen before.

The piece features Bill Cattorini, a retired Chicago fireman who has been caught in a bureaucratic limbo due to a discrepancy between his birth date as listed on his driver’s license and the date on his social security card. That was never an issue until Illinois began trying to comply with some parts of Real ID. Now Cattorini can’t drive.

Cattorini is hardly unusual in having a quirk or discrepancy in his bureaucratic records. And millions of others will face similar problems, or worse, if Real ID goes into effect.

The key word is “if.” A battle is now raging over Real ID in state legislatures across the nation, with a growing number of states rebelling against this expensive (and unfunded) scheme. Already Maine and Idaho have declared that they won’t comply, and many other states are moving toward similar action.

For more information about Real ID, please visit RealNightmare.org. A map showing the status of anti-Real ID legislation in each state is available here.

REAL ID: WHAT IT MEANS FOR YOU

The Real ID Act was rammed through Congress without hearings in May 2005. It was a? ached to emergency supplemental legislation providing funds to continue the war in Iraq and humanitarian relief for victims of the recent Pacifi c tsunami. The Real ID Act:

Is a REAL national ID.

Drivers' licenses will contain a standardized set of information collected by all 50 states, backed up by a standardized “machine-readable zone” and by a national database of ID information. Local Department of Motor Vehicle offices will become federal agents charged with administering an internal passport without which you will be unable to function in the United States.

Is REAL ineffective.

REAL ID is supposed to stop terrorism. ID documents do not reveal anything about evil intent – and even if they did, determined terrorists will always be able to obtain fraudulent documents (either counterfeit or real documents bought from corrupt offi cials).

Is a REAL nightmare for state governments.

States will have to remake their driver’s licenses, restructure computer databases and systems, create an extensive new document-storage system, and expand security measures. They will have to verify the “issuance, validity and completeness” of every birth certifi cate, every immigration document, every utility bill, and every other document -- not just when a drivers' license is fi rst issued, but every time you want to renew it as well.

Is REAL expensive.

It could cost as much as $23 billion, leaving you to pay additional steep fees when applying for driver’s licenses. It will take funds away from important state programs.

Is a REAL hassle.

You are also likely to confront slower service, longer lines, and bureaucratic snafus in obtaining these ID cards, and may get caught in the nightmare of inflexible verification requirements.

Is a REAL identity theft risk.

The creation of a single interlinked database as well as the requirement that each DMV store copies of every birth certifi cate and every other document creates huge new security risks by creating a one-stop shop for identity thieves.

Is a REAL invasion of privacy.

The IDs must include a “common machine-readable technology” that will allow for easy, computerized transfer of the data on the cards. That will make it easy for anybody in private industry to snap up the data on these IDs and put it up for sale, not subject even to the limited privacy rules in eff ect for the government. Since home addresses are currently required for the card, victims of domestic violence may be put at special risk.

Is a REAL step toward a surveillance society.

This new national identity card will create an infrastructure for the tracking, monitoring, and regulation of your activities. Its centralized database will inevitably, over time, become the repository for more and more data on individuals, as we become a "show me your papers, please" society.

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